Corning changes the game again with Lotus Glass, but it’s not Gorilla Glass 2.0

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If you’ve ever owned a Gorilla Glass-protected mobile device you have probably experienced heart-wrenching despair followed by exultant joy after dropping said device, only to find that the screen is as pristine as ever. It can honestly be argued that Corning changed the game when it realized there was an incredible market to design something that would help consumers protect their expensive devices. Now, the glass giant has turned its focus to hardware manufacturers, introducing a new substrate that will again change the way that things are done in the mobile industry. This new glass is called “Lotus Glass,” and despite its fancy name and relationship in proximity to Gorilla Glass, does something completely different.

Gorilla Glass in itself is made to be a protective layer for devices. It shelters the digitizer in touchscreen devices, without interfering because it’s so thin. Understandably, this marvel of engineering goes through literal hell-like conditions to be manufactured. Of course it is a company secret as to how it is produced, but it is said that Gorilla Glass goes through incredible temperatures, a special trough, robots, and a molten salt bath before it is all said and done. All of this is done to create the hard substance that can withstand impact and scratching. Lotus Glass on the other hand works in a completely different way that is transparent to consumers, and as such should not be considered Gorilla Glass 2.0.

Lotus Glass is a substrate, a thin layer that exists between the LCD of the device, and the cover glass, such as Gorilla Glass. It is key in touchscreen manufacture because it is a type of connective tissue in the screen’s operation. Circuits are placed on the substrate to help control the pixels that appear on the screen, and the process to get said circuits imprinted is one that requires a large amount of temperature change. Namely, high heat and intense cooling. These polar opposites in climate place strain on the substrate, and if not monitored and balanced, can cause it to warp and disfigure. This is where Lotus Glass comes in to save the day. Corning has engineered its newest offering to withstand high amounts of heat, exactly how much is not known, but enough so that manufacturers could have some extra protection when producing touchscreens. The cost of the Lotus Glass could outweigh the waste that inevitably comes when substrates succumb to the temperature stresses placed on them.

Is Lotus Glass a game changer for consumers? Not directly. Consumers will not notice the addition of the new substrate in their physical devices. However, if Corning’s new glass can become the industry standard that Gorilla Glass has, consumers could notice a change in the price of mobile devices as manufacturers can continue to streamline their production processes and cut down on waste.

For more info, watch A Day of Glass made possible by Corning below. It mentions Lotus and many other types of glass it is developing.